“Hesba” waives its work for money

“Hesba” is one of the devices created by ISIS group, since the control of Raqqa city northern Syria, or Islamic police, as the group’s leadership likes to call it, it’s one of the worst nightmares experienced by people in ISIS controlled areas, where this device considered striking arm of the security office, and it specializes to pursue civilians for dress matters and smoking, and forcing them to close shops during prayer times and go to mosques.

However, entrusting Hesba the task of collecting “Zakat”, making it neglects its previous work, and focus on making money and collecting it from people, they are no longer forcing shops to close during prayer times, and that punishment of smoking is no longer lashing, but it’s now a fine deposited in “Diwan of Zakat ” affiliated the group.

Competition, which entered the doors of collecting Zakat, has changed some principles, as official’s work estimated with the amount of money which collected from people, without reference to an imposed rate or specific value, prompting the members of Hesba to compensate financial shortfall by imposing taxes on civilians.

Owner of a food shop in the eastern countryside of Raqqa, told the team “Raqqa is being slaughtered silently”, that Hesba members who have forced him to close his shop and go to prayer, today are imposing 1000 SP (about US $5) to stay in shop and not go to prayer or closing his shop, as the trader mentioned that he is not alone in this matter, many of the shop owners who knows them are doing the same thing.

Sources speaks to “Raqqa is being slaughtered silently” that a large amount of money has collected from Zakat, exceeding six million dollars only in Raqqa province, but most of these funds are transferred to the outside by some defector members from the group, as the so-called Abu Ubaidah al-Masri has done, who stole 500 thousand dollars and fled to an unknown destination, as also Abu Talha al-Kuwaiti, who stole a million dollars and went to Turkey and disappeared afterwards.

“Diwan of Zakat”, which ISIS has announced its establishment, it was dedicated to the poor and needy, however ISIS members have diverted it to a personal source of income, allowing people to buy some of their liberty in exchange for money, but could they be able to buy their cities in the same way? in while the group will become a commodity bought and sold !!